[National Post] A gunman attacked a Philippine mayor as he left the country's main airport on Friday along with crowds of Christmas travellers, killing him, his wife, a child and another man, authorities and witnesses said.The gunman fired on Labangan Mayor Ukol Talumpa outside Terminal 3 at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, named after President Benigno Aquino III's father, who was assassinated there 30 years ago. The terminal handles international and domestic flights, and is supposed to be a relatively well-guarded facility. Talumpa had arrived from Zamboanga del Sur, the southern province where Labangan is located.
There was no word on a possible motive, but violent attacks linked to political rivalries, family feuds and business disputes are common in the Philippines, and have left hundreds of people dead over the years. Talumpa himself had survived at least two earlier assassination attempts, according to local media reports.
The mayor and his wife were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital along with a 1 1/2-year-old boy and a 25-year-old man, said the airport's general manager, Jose Angel Honrado.
Local radio reports said that the man was a nephew of the mayor, but that the boy was a bystander with no relation to Talumpa.
At least five other people were wounded, including a niece of the mayor and a 3-year-old girl who sustained a head wound, hospital authorities said.
An uncle of the dead boy, Felipe Lirasan, told DZMM radio that the child's family was staying at his home for Christmas. "Then this happened," he said, his voice breaking. "There is nothing that we can do."